Method and apparatus for stretching textile material



Sept. 18,1923, 1,468,351

7 H. D. AYRES METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHI NG TEXTILE MATERIAL Filed Feb. 9, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sapfi. 18 11923, H. D. AYRES METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING TEXTILE MATEREAL Filed Feb. 9, 1920 2 sheats sheet 2 of Ohio,

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Application filed February 9, 1920. Serial No. 357,314

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM D. Anne, acitizen of the United States, residin at Akron, in the county of Summit and tate have invented a certain new and useful Method and Apparatus for Stretching Textile Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of cords orthreads, or

in a woven or an unwoven condition, definitely controlled b a stretchin operation, preferably exe vcontinuou y on V the threads or fabric while the latter is traveling through a-fabricating apparatus such as a thread impregnating device or a fabric coating apparatus such for example as a rubber frictlonmg calender. The o'b ject of my invention is, generally speaking,

to bring the thread, threads or fabricinto a known-condition as to its degree of stretchability so asv to make it more suitable for certain uses than heretofore, more particupurposes as the building of pneumatic tire casings, balloons and other rubberized or otherwise coated fabric or cord structures.

The invention as herein illustrated and described "is embodied and carried out in connection with a calender forap lyinga coating of plastic rubber to. a travehng sheet of'fa-bric, such as ordinary square woven fabric for building rubberized canvas tires, composed of strain-resistg warp threads and occasional weak weft or filler threads for building a known type of so-called cord tires.

To illustrate the application of my invention in the improvement of uare-woven fabric, it may be stated that in t e ordinary methods ofweaving such fabric, the action of-the loom in beating u the successive filler threads puts more 0 a crimp in the warp than in the filler, so that the warp is more stretchable than the filler with a [which must be in given application of force. The resent invention provides a means for lancing the fabric'by imparting to the warp threads -a predetermined degree of stretch correspond' to the amount of their excess of stretcha ility as compared "with the filler threads, and retaining this increased stretch, or all but a small part of :it, in the rubberiaed fabric, by the forcing of plastic rubber for example,

filler threads for the known loads,

into the interstices of'the mesh by means of the frictioning operation.

Qf the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of my Improved fabric stretching apparatus applied to a rubber calender.

F g. 2 is a plan view thereofr Fig. 3 is a section Fig. 2. v

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged sectional views right angles to each other representi the condition of the unbalanced fabric, an Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 the condition of the stretched fabric.

In order intelligently to use the apparatus herein provided, on square-woven fabric, it is desirable first to ascertain the amount of excess of stretchability in the warp of the particular length or roll of fabric to be treated, or if thread fabric is'being treated,

the total stretchability of the warp threads.

Wlth square-woven fabric, for example, this may be done y cutting a test-piece from the fabric, loading the w and fillerthreads of said test-piece in a efinite manner and observin and recording the loadings and the resu ting elongations. The testiece should cross with arms of e in an application, erial No. 357 315, filed concurrently herewith, the arms of the cross havin the transverse threads removed there rem between the ends of thearms and the central square in order to avoid certain local effects. If this cross-shaped test-piece ips, a series is then mounted in two setsof on the line 3-3 of showing preferably be in the shape of a reek ual width, as described of known loadsapplied to its llerthreads,

the amounts of elon ation of said threads observed and successive loads simultaneously applied to the warp threads until their elongations equal those of the the differencc between the res 'ective loamof the filler and warp will s ow the amount of excess of crimp in the warp threads and will give an indication of the amount of strain osed u n the warp of the roll'of fabric cm which the test pieee was taken in order to stretch it until said excess of crimp; is removed.

In the drawin the broken-line circles 10, 11 and 12 in 1 represent the nr, middle and lower roll calender rotated in the direction of the arrows and adapted to be heated in the i rile in one tier era .1

too

' bers.on their inner tion clutch controlled by tween the gear pinion and the shaft section 'of these shaft sections is usual manner. 13 is a bank of gum between the two upper rollers which is sheeted over half of the middle roller and then rolle onto the upper side of the fabric 14, the heat of mastication, sup lemented generally by steam supplied to t rolls, serving to render the rubber sufliciently plastic to cause it to spread properly onto the fabric. 15, 15 are a pair of aligne shaft sections including the usual coupling memends for receiving the squared shaft or spindle 16 of the roller 17, which is an intermediate roller adapted to act alternatively as one of the take-up an one of the let-off rollers for the fabric acd movable ends connected to short arms 44 on as one of the other surface of sai being coated. The right-hand one connected by suitable gearing at 18, of hich a portion is shown in Fig. 2, with the shaft of the lower calender roll 12, and there is the usual frica hand wheel becording fabric is for disconnecting the latter from the power at will, another roller 19 is mounted at the rear of the calender between aligned shaft sections 20, of which one is shown in Fig. 1 connected as usual by gearing snot shown) to the lower calender roll 12 an acts as the final take-up for the has been coated on both sides, and in that case the front roller 17 acts as the let-off or delivery roller.

On posts 21 in front of the main calender structure are mounted the bearings for a pair of aligned shaft sections. 22, having couplings on their inner ends to receive the squared haft or spindle 23 of a fabric letoif roller 24, said shaft sections carrying a pair of brake-drums 24 of e ual size, to which are applied brake-ban s 26. The brake-bands have fixed points of attachment 27 at one end to the posts 21, and their other ends are provided with rods 28 pivotally connected with short arms 29 forming part of a rocker responsive to the tension on the fabric, the en s of these rods bein' screw-threaded and provided with thumfi nuts 30 for adjusting the brake-bands. The rocker also includes a fulcrum shaft 31 mounted in bearings on the posts 21 and loosely surrounded y a fabric guide roller 32,.together with a ht arms 33 carrying a bearings aft 34, an a roller 35 loosely journaled on said shaft for guiding the fabric around the upper end of the rocker, this end roller 35 acting as a against the under 'side of the fabric, to and from which the fabric is guided at an an le by the roller 32 and by the roller 53 to later referred to. Also fixed to the rock-shaft 31 are a pair of arms 36 from which are suspended weights 37 act' on the brake-bands in opposition to the u of the fabric transmitted through the ro er air of upri d holding the brakes out e hollow calender d 41, '41 are thebrak 'for t fabric when the latter.

this excess of crimpl feeler.

is then coupled and 35 in the manner 35 and arms 33. Under one of these weight arms is a cam 38 operated by a handle 39 for of action when desired, and on the other arm 36 is connected a dash-pot 40 for damping the movements of the rocker. v

A mechanism essentially similar to the foregoing-is applied to the shaft sections 15 of the intermediate roller 1'4 on the main calender frame, and is made operative when said roller is delivering fabric throu h the calender rolls to the rear take-up rol er 19, as indicated in Fig. 3. In this mechanism -drums, 42 the brakebands with fixed attachments at 43 and their 46 are arms on said rock-shaft connectin by links 47 with arms 48 on a second roc er structure, which includes a fulcrum shaft 49 loosely surrounded by a fabric guide roller 50, and a pair of upri ht arms 51 carrying the bearing shaft e roller 53, there being also a pair of weighting arms 54 fixed to the ends of the rock-shaft and carrying suspended weights 55. 56 is a dash-pot on one of these weight arms, 57 is a cam and 58 a cam handle under the other arm 54 for disabling the brake-bands 42 at times, such as when the roller 17 is acting as a take-up.

59 is an auxiliary fabric guide roller, adjustable in height, for use when the fabric is iven its friction coating on the first side and delivered to the roller 17.

a rock-shaft 45. 46,

In Figs. 4 and 5, which represent two en- 1 larged sections, at right-an les, of the ordinary square-woven tire fa ric as it comes from the loom, it will be observed that the warp threads 60 have a greater amount of crimp or wave in them than the filler threads 61, and in order to shall be removed it 1s it len hwise of the to bring the abric ap roxi condition represented in ig. 6. Assuming that the amount of excess of crimp and consequent amount of excess of stretchability has been determined by testing a sample of the fabric from a particular roll or lot of rolls to be treated as previously set forth, a set of ,weights 37 and which have been ascertained by trial or calculation as sufficient in amount to impose the necessary degree of stretch upon the fabric to take out this excess of crimp in the warp and restore its balance are then applied to the arms 36 and 54 and the brake-band adjustments such as the nuts 30 are so manipulated that when the cams 38 and 57 are retracted the brakes will be fully applied by these weights. A roller carrymg a roll of fabric to be treated betweenthe shaft sections led around the rollers 32 indicated in Fig. 1, over the roller 53, under the roller 59,

necessary to stretc warps so as mately to the 22, the fabric is balance the fabric so that ,eer

around the lower calender roll 12 and onto the take'up roller 17, whose brakes are relieved by means of the cam 57, and whose hand-control clutch is set up to connect it with the gear drive. The draft exerted on the fabric by means of the rollers 12 and 17 and the retardation of the brakes on the shaft section 22 then cause the fabric to be stretched between the left-ofi and take-up rollers, the amount of tension being main tained substantially constant by the action of the rocker mechanism including the feeler roll 35, whereb the arms 36 are kept floatin in an interme iate position. If the retarding effect of the brakes should become so great as to cause this tension to exceed the predetermined amount, the reaction of the increased strain upon the roller will move said roller to the right as viewed in Fig. 1

p a slight distance and elevate the arms 36 so as partially to release the brake-bands 26,

whereupon the feeler rollerand connected partsreturn to their normal position, If the tension should fall below the pro-determined Fig.

amount, the reverse operation occurs, feeler roll 35 moving slightly to the left and allowing the weights 37 to depres the arms 36, f b

thereby. increasing the pull on the brake; bands, increasing the fabric tension and re:

storing the feeler roll to its normal position. f

When the roll of fabric has been run through and frictioned site side uppermost, from roller 17 act ing as a let-off, to the final take-up roller 19 (the hand-wheel clutch hereinbefore mentioned being released to disconnect roller 17 from the gearing 18) and is rolled up thereon together with a liner 62 shown in 3, the course of the fabric bein then as indicated by the dot-and-dash line in this view, the automatic tension device for the shaft 16 of the roller 17 being brought into action by retraction of the cam 57 and o crating in a. manner which will be. clear evident from what has already been described.

The result is or, may be a rubberized fabric in a condition of substantial balance as regards the amount of crimp in the warp and filler threads respectively, so that when said fabric is out in to bias strips and made up into a pneumatic. tire, or when it is used .m a balloonor other structure, the two sets of threads will be in a condition to do an equal amount of work by reason of being e uall stretchable under the same loads.

e p astic rubber in the meshes of the tabric serves to hold it stretched in the desired degree, so that when unrolled and fed to the bias cutter, there will be only a very shght contraction of the outstrips lengthwise of the. warp. .An equivalent efi'ect is obtained, when thread fabric is treated, and the or other structure into which the fabric is on one side, it is then fed through the calender with its oppoy by an .taining the applying a tension to said fabric bearing a g definite relation to said strain to stretch its threads, and fixin said threads substantially in such degree 0 stretch by other material applied along the threads.

2. The herein-described method which comprises ascertaining the total stretchabilr t of a fibrous thread fabric stretching said abric by an amount bearing a determinate relation to its total stretchability, and applying to the stretched fabric a plastic substance which preserves the stretch.

3. The herein-described method which comprises ascertaining the totai stretchability of a fibrous thread fabric stretching said a ric by an amount bearing a determinate relation to its total stretchability, and appl ing hot plastic rubber to the stretched a no.

t. The hereimdescribed method which comprises ascertaining the total stretchability of a flat set of arallel threads, feedmg said set of thread: longitudinally, progressively stretching said threads by an amount bearing a determinate relation to their total stretchability, applying to said threads material which holds them in a stretched condition in the form of a fabric.

1. The herein-described method which comprises ascertaining the total stretchability of a fabric of rallel fibrous threads, progressively stret ing said fabric amount bearing a determinate relation to its total stretchabi it and frictioning the stretched fabric with p astic rubber.

6. In the treating of woven fabric whose two sets of threads are crimped in difl'erent degrees, the method which com rises asceramount of such di erence, imposing upon said fabric, lengthwise of the threads having the greater crimp, a tension which. bears a determinate relation to the amount of their vt-i lof crimp,- and firi the fabric in its thus-tensioned condition with a coating of fluent material.

7. In the treating of warp threads are more thod which com- Woven fabric whose stretchable than its filler threads by reason of an excessof crimp and progressively i in;

e amount of the difi'errelation to their excess of stretchability, and frictioning a coat of rubber on the stretched fabric. i

8. In the treating of woven fabric whose warp threads are crimped to a greater extent than its filler threads, the method which comprises stretching the fabric lengthwise of its warp until the amount of crimp of the filler threads substantially equals that of the warp threads, and while thus stretched, frictiOIling a coat of rubber 'on the fabric 9. In the treating of woven fabric whose warp threads are crimped to a greater extent than its filler threads, the method which comprises reducing the crimpof the warp threads to a determinate relation to that of the filler threads b continuously, progressively and uniform y stretching a len of said fabric longitudinally thereof, and friction it with rubber, while said fabric is being fed longitudinally.

10. In the treatment of woven fabric whose warp threads are crim ed more than its filler threads, the method w ich comprises determining the a roximate amount of the excess of stretcha ility in the Warp of the fabric to be treated, progressively imposing upon said fabric, lengthwise of its warp, a substantially constant tension-adapted to remove said excess, and progressively applying to the tensioned fabric a plastic coating.

11. In a fabric-streching machine, the

combination of a roller calendering apparatus havin means for propelling a sheet of fabric an applyin a plastic coating thereto, a let-off roller or supplying the fabric, a brake for said roller, and means responsive to the tension on the fabric for controlling said brake.

12. In a fabric-stretching machine, the combination of a calender having means for applying a plastic wating to one side of a sheet of fabric, and two devices associated therewith and responsive to the tension on said fabric for regulating the amount of such tension, said devices being operative alternately according as one or the other surface of the fabric is being coated.

13. In a fabric-stretching machine, the combination of a calendering apparatus having a tier of three calender rolls for propel ling, a sheet of fabric and a plying lastic um thereto, a fabric let-o roller l aving a brake, means responsive to the tension on the fabric leaving said roller for controlling said brake, a final fabric take-up roller, an intermediate roller adapted to act alternately as a take-up and let-01f roller, a brake for said intermediate roller, means responsive to the tension on the fabric leaving said intermediate roller for controlling its said brake, and devices for disabling said brakes.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of February, 1920.

HIRAM 1). Areas. 

